Greased Lightning
by boshrocks
Summary: School play; Grease. Sandra Dee; Casey McDonald. Danny Zuko; Derek Venturi. This can only end in tears. DASEY. not like other play stories.
1. Chapter 1

"Oh my god

"Oh my god! I got it!" Casey exclaimed hugging Emily in front of the notice board displaying the cast list for the new school musical.

"Sandra Dee in Grease too. That's a good one." Emily said trying not to laugh at Casey.

She was spared as Derek came past with Sam laughing at Casey's excitement.

"I knew you were a shoe-in for Sandra Dee. But who got Danny Zuko?" Emily said glaring at her boyfriend and Derek as they went cackling past.

"Derek?!"

"Say what?!" Derek said doubling back and examining the board.

"You got Danny?" Sam laughed.

"You can't laugh sweetie, you got Kenickie." Emily fired back.

"I'm glad you got Rizzo, Em." Casey said slipping her arm through Emily's as they walked away leaving a dumbstruck Derek and Sam. "I'll need someone to stop me killing Derek."

"Can Derek sing?"

"No. Can't dance, can't sing, definitely can't act. I don't know why he's been cast as the lead."

"He's got the rebel act down though." Emily said looking back over her shoulder at him.

Casey looked too. "I can't believe I have to kiss him."

"And sing with him, and dance with him. And act like you're in love with him. Well, at least that part won't be hard to act."

"Hey, stop that." Casey said, quietly warning.

"Sorry." Emily said gently. Casey's crush was a vetoed subject.

"Think you can create all the attitude needed for Rizzo?"

Emily gave her friend a playfully scathing look. "Are you kidding? They practically invented attitude for me."

Casey laughed. "How am I going to cope with Derek as my romantic lead?"

"You never know. It could end happily."

"I appreciate your optimistic hope, but I can't be. This will all end in tears."

"Ah well, you're so right. But I wouldn't miss it for the world." Emily giggled.

A few days later the rehearsals started. Derek really was hopeless. Casey was excellent; but she was born to perform. Casey was begged to help Derek diligently and help him with all the songs and acting, at home in private.

But motivating him would require something phenomenal. And Casey had to find it fast.


	2. Chapter 2

"Derek

"Derek! Will you pay attention?!" Casey shouted. The pair were holed up in her room trying to rehearse a scene. She thought to start him off slow, then work up to the songs. But Derek wasn't responding to her at all. He just wasn't interested.

The boy could act a little, as every credible liar could, but to perfectionist Casey he was by no way ready for a role like Danny Zuko. Casey had tried everything she could think of to motivate him, but his resentment for her coupled with his contrary nature to whatever she had a passion for, ensured that he was determined to fight her all the way.

Casey managed to rein in her temper with difficulty. Drawing in her breath through her teeth she unclenched her fingers and tried to reassemble her self control. "Derek, we have to get this. I will not be embarrassed by you on that stage. You've already done that to me once before with that terrible rap and I will not have it happening again."

"I saved that play. My rap was the best thing in it."

"If you don't pay attention and get good then the musical will flop and they'll never cast me in another one. I don't know why they cast you as Danny in the first place."

"They cast me because…because…I don't know why they cast me." Derek looked confused and a little hurt.

Casey rolled her eyes and sat down on the bed beside him. "I expect they cast you because you're a rebel, like him. You're like a chestnut burr; hard and prickly on the outside and soft and sensitive on the inside. You're also quite charismatic, and that's what a Danny Zuko needs. But he also needs to be a good actor and a great singer. And, I'm sorry to have to tell you, but you can't sing for shit."

"I appreciate you're brutal honesty, Casey. Thanks for the compliment by the way. But I'm not interested in doing this little play just for you."

"Well, you don't exactly have a choice. You got cast alongside me as the lead, and I have to get you into shape. You know me, I don't give up."

"Well, I'm probably just as stubborn as you are, you know."

Casey smirked. "Bring it on."

The next day Casey seemed to be in a very bad mood. Emily watched her carefully as she slammed their locker door.

"What's wrong?" Emily tried not to laugh.

"Derek's still not responding." Casey snapped.

"You need a strategy. You don't go in with one plan; you go in with five. Or ten."

"I need a way to get round him. We need some dirt on him." Casey mused.

"I think I can help with that. Dating his best friend has its advantages. I'll get the dirt, don't you worry."

"Thanks Em. I have to go, I have a meeting with the costume department. We need to test out the sexy Sandra outfits. Meet me there?"

"Sure thing." Emily called after her as Casey rushed off. Then she spotted Sam coming down the hall. As he past she grabbed him and pushed him into a nearby and thankfully empty classroom.

"Emmy? What the heck are you doing?" he protested.

"We need stuff on Derek. So start spilling." Emily knew he wouldn't refuse her, whenever they needed dirt on Derek they went to Sam, who was only too happy to fill in the gaps and release Derek's most embarrassing moments. It wasn't a betrayal of confidence, or at least Sam didn't think so.

"Alright. In the second grade he wore a cape to school because he thought he was superman." Sam grinned as Emily laughed.

"Great, but we need something to help Casey get through to him."

"Oh right. Well, we all know that Derek's like around hot girls like Casey. Don't look at me like that. You told me that if you were a guy you'd date her, and that actually it didn't matter what gender you were. And with Derek it didn't make any difference. The only reason he hasn't gone for it with her is because she's technically family."

"You mean he likes her?" Emily's eyes lit up.

"More than likes her. If she wants to get him motivated about the musical, all she has to do is appeal to his masculinity."

"How do you mean?"

Sam smiled. "All she has to do is act in a way that gets a reaction from him."

"Sexy Sandy. Would that work?"

"It'll work like a charm." A smirking Sam chuckled. Somehow he understood her, in a way he never could understand Casey. "One thing though, can we get Edwin to hook up a webcam or something. I want to see this."

"Why?"

"I'm in charge of the wedding video for them."

"Wedding video? They're not even together." Emily laughed.

"As soon as they met I knew it would only be a matter of time. Edwin's been in on it from the beginning since he agrees with me. He's already rigged the kitchen and the living room. We've got loads of footage."

"But what if they don't get together?" Emily asked.

"Then we have the footage to blackmail them with." Sam flashed her his most charming smile.


	3. Chapter 3

"Casey, tell me again why I'm here

Derek lounged on the bed with Polaroid pictured scattered around him and discarded outfits strewn over the bed and overflowing onto the floor. "Casey, tell me again why I'm here."

"Because, Danny, you have to help me with this just like I'm helping you. And you have to call me Sandy at all times."

"Why?"

"To help you get into character. The whole family is going to call you Danny until it becomes second nature. What do you think of this one?" Casey stepped out from behind the screen on one side of the bedroom. She was wearing a sexy sixties style dress with a vibrant pattern of hot pink and black circles.

He looked her up and down, lingering, she noted, on her high hemline and smooth tanned legs beneath it. "Nice. But isn't Grease set in the fifties?"

"Yeah, but Mrs Zeldin wanted to send a message that Sandy's a woman of the future. Just take the picture." Derek grudgingly picked up the Polaroid camera and took a picture of her outfit. "What about the outfit? No good?"

"No. Why am I choosing the outfit?"

"Zeldin… had her reasons." Casey hesitated and ducked back behind the screen. But Derek, lounged on the bed, saw her burning cheeks.

"Come on, Ca-" Casey cleared her throat and Derek remembered. "Sandy then. Come on Sandy, nothing you wear can get a reaction from me."

Casey stuck her head and shoulders around the screen. Her bare shoulders and the one black bra strap hanging enticingly off her shoulder made him blush a little and painted a somewhat hungry look in his eyes. Casey smirked. "What about my Babe Raider outfit? That was definitely a reaction."

"Stop being such a tease and get on with it." Derek said almost flirtatiously. Casey stuck her tongue out at him, also quite flirtatiously.

When she next appeared she was wearing a tight red dress that clung to her curves and accentuated her in all the right places. His jaw dropped. "Thank you." she said smiling. He snapped two pictures of her.

"Gorgeous but not for sexy Sandy. Keep the dress."

"I'll ask." Casey smiled and popped back behind the screen.

"Do. That dress is very sexy on Casey but not the right thing for Sandy."

Again the bare shoulders with head attached peeked around the screen. "You think I'm sexy?"

"If you weren't my stepsister I would date you."

Casey vanished and Derek heard an audible squeak of joy. He chuckled slightly.

The next outfit she came out with was the same outfit from the movie. The look of horror on Derek's face was comic to say the least. Casey couldn't help laughing as he took the picture. "It's not that bad is it?"

"Top's good, but those pants make you look horrible. You need a short skirt. Preferably a black one." To her surprise he hopped off the bed and made his way to her cupboard. He rifled through while she watched him carefully.

"I think you should know that I don't own a black miniskirt."

"Oh that so is a lie. What about this little thing I've just found?"

Casey paled slightly. "W-what thing?" she knew perfectly well what was in there.

"This." Derek turned around with her black leather miniskirt in one hand and the biggest smirk on his smug face.

"Oh god."

"Yeah. You're a bad girl really."

"No I'm Sandy one, not Sandy two."

"Then why do you have this?" he brought her red leather miniskirt out from behind his back.

Casey screamed and sank down on the floor in shock. "How did you find that!?"

"Come on, Casey, I'm like a bloodhound for a miniskirt. Even when it concerns you."

Casey couldn't help laughing.

"That's more like it, now get up and take off those retarded pants before I have to do it for you."

Again Casey laughed. "Point taken. Help me up. I can't move in these things."

Derek chucked the skirts on the bed and took her outstretched hands. He easily hauled her back to her feet and she popped back behind the screen. A moment later there came the sound of a zipper and then a rip.

"Oh dear." Casey said sounding bored.

"You don't sound fussed. Why aren't you freaking out like usual?"

"Because I hate the pants. They're shit. And they're very uncomfortable. Okay give me the skirt."

"Which one?"

"Um, both."

"Wow." Was all he could say when she stepped out in the red skirt. Again he took two photographs.

His eyes nearly fell out of his head when she showed him the outfit with the black skirt. On automatic he took two photographs.

Smiling she went back behind the screen. Then she heard him getting up and the next second You're The One That I Want was playing from her radio.

And Derek was singing along.

Behind the screen Casey silently cheered. "Emily you are a genius!"


	4. Chapter 4

The next day Casey was grinning like a madman as she went about her normal day

The next day Casey was grinning like a madman as she went about her normal day. Emily leaned against the lockers and watched her carefully.

"What are you so happy about, Miss Casey?" she ventured.

"Last night we started training to be Sandy and Danny."

"You got through to him?"

"In more ways than one." Casey murmured so low that Emily couldn't catch it.

"What?"

"Yes. I did. Your plan worked. He's motivated to the musical. And we got the sexy Sandy outfit as a bonus." Casey took a Polaroid photograph out of her jeans pocket and passed it over. Emily wolf whistled. Casey chuckled. "I know. It sure got a reaction from him."

"What do you mean?"

"What usually happens when a guy reacts to a hot girl? Especially a very hormonal teenage boy." Casey smirked.

Emily gasped. "He didn't!"

"Well, he certainly disappeared behind my screen in a big hurry." Casey said roguishly with a grin to match her tone.

"Did something happen that I should know about?"

"Oh, I don't know. I'm not saying yes, and I'm not saying no."

"Casey, I can tell by your tone that something did happen so you may as well save yourself the trouble and confess because you know I will find out the truth somehow. Sherlock Holmes has nothing on me."

"Em, it's not a crime scene. I don't have to tell you what happened."

"Well, I'm gonna need an explanation for the look Derek's giving you. Or rather, the look he's sending your ass." Emily pointed at Derek and Sam as they came down the corridor to them. Derek was indeed wearing a very hungry look and he was staring at Casey's butt.

Casey peered over at her bottom and then at Derek. Subtly she sent him a wink and a seductive little smile. Sam noticed it, and she noticed him noticing it. Casey stopped smiling and turned back to her locker.

The boys came to a halt beside Casey and Emily. Sam kissed Emily and Derek paused to whisper something in Casey's ear. Emily noticed a hand on her bottom as he whispered something that made her giggle. And that giggle was very sexy.

Casey pushed Derek away slightly. "Derek, why don't we find an empty classroom and squeeze in some rehearsing. We made a start last night but we've still got a long way to go." Emily noticed Casey pursing her lips as she spoke accompanied by a slight quirk of an eyebrow.

Casey grabbed Derek's arm and marched him off. Emily detected a distinct sashay in her walk; a sultry wiggle in her hips that wasn't there before.

"Sammy, have you noticed the change in our favourite pair of stepsiblings?"

"Yes. Derek normally starts the day by having a good rant about Casey and whatever annoying thing she did recently. But not today. He was quiet and thoughtful, which for him never happens. When I mentioned Casey he got a sort of dreamy look in his eye and, I can hardly believe it, he blushed."

"Casey's been on cloud nine all day. I don't know what's got into her. Something must have happened last night. She went ahead with our sexy outfit plan but refused to tell me anything more other than he reacted to the winning outfit."

"As we knew he would. So what happened?"

Emily suddenly had a brainwave. "Oh, Sammy, we're so blind. One of them must have acted on the reaction. They must know about each other's feelings."

"I don't think so. Derek's not normally shy, but when it comes to Casey he is. Boy is he a coward when it comes to his feelings anyway. He fought with her so he wouldn't slip up and reveal something. He's too shy to do anything about it. Trust me, baby, he's in deep."

"So's Casey and we both know what a dork she is with guys. Maybe I'm just fluffing the truth. She said he reacted but there's no way of knowing for sure if anything else happened. She was awfully vague. But she seemed like she couldn't wait to tell me the gossip. I just wish we could find out without prying too much."

"There might be a way." Sam smirked conspiratorially and pulled out his cell phone and started texting.

"Who are you texting?"

"Edwin."


	5. Chapter 5

"Casey, we have a problem

"Casey, we have a problem." Derek said marching into her bedroom shortly before dinner that night.

"Really?" Casey turned her desk chair around to face him as he closed the door and sat on her bed.

"Yeah. Edwin knows, I think. And through him I think Emily and Sam do too."

"I know. He does know. Or at least he thinks he does." She said coolly.

"How do you know?"

"I sneaked a look at Sam's cell phone earlier and Edwin has everything that happened last night on film. But he hasn't looked through it yet. Edwin said he'd look through it after supper. Now I know this is wrong, but if we want to avoid judgement then it has to be done."

Derek looked at her carefully. "You have a plan?"

"Of course I do. At dinner we stage a fight. A big one. Something about the musical. We've had plenty of practice. So, I storm off up to my room but instead of going to my room I go to Edwin's. Once there I steal the tape. I know Edwin when it comes to this. His webcams record it strait onto a video tape and he always labels it before he's seen it. Besides I know we finished really late last night, I mean after he went to bed, so he would have labelled it this morning."

"What if he hasn't?"

"Then he will have forgotten about it and left it in the player. If that is the case, I put in a blank tape and he will think he forgot to turn it on. There's always a blank tape in there."

"You scheming little minx." Derek got up and caressed her cheek lovingly. He sounded quite proud of her.

"I learned from the best." She purred.

Derek chuckled slightly and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"You know, baby, we need to stop being so obvious at school. That's what's got Sam and Emily all curious."

"Can I help it if I find you irresistible?"

Casey chuckled seductively in the back of her throat. "Well, subtlety was never your strong point."

"And brutal honesty is yours." Derek sat back down on the bed.

Casey smirked and wheeled her chair over to face him. "I guess we really are more alike than people realise."

Derek gave her a tender look and took her hands. "Yeah, I guess we are. So it's a deal? At school I will try my hardest not to stare at you and your gorgeous bottom and in return you won't dress in a way that makes me want to do naughty things to you."

"Deal. What kind of things?"

"Things that would probably get me sent to jail if anyone found out about them." he smirked as she chuckled sexily.

"Sounds good. Maybe I should wear that red miniskirt to school tomorrow."

"Not the leather one? If you do that I'll be forced to impregnate you in a bathroom."


	6. Chapter 6

Casey rifled through the drawers of Edwin's desk and under the bed frantically

Casey rifled through the drawers of Edwin's desk and under the bed frantically. She didn't have long left and she still hadn't found the tape. There wasn't a tape in the recorder and the desk top was devoid of it too. She was starting to panic.

"Find anything interesting?" a voice said making her jump.

Turning she saw Edwin himself standing in the doorway with his arms crossed. "Ed! This isn't what it looks like."

"No I think it is. You're searching for the tape of your little fitting session last night because presumably there's something on that tape that you wouldn't like publicised. Something that could have serious repercussions for you and my brother."

Casey rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about. I was just looking for dirt on Derek to use as blackmail in case he stops cooperating with the musical." She lied with surprising ease.

"This is my room, not his." Edwin pointed out.

"I know that. I also know that you have several hidden webcams in this house so you must have some videos of Derek doing embarrassing things. I didn't want you to find out in case you told Derek and he murdered me in my sleep or something." Casey tried not to blush.

"I know what was on that tape. I know what happened last night. I saw it before supper and took it with me in case you did exactly what you have done; stormed away from dinner and snuck up here to get it back from me. You really must think I'm stupid." Edwin took the video tape out of his pocket.

"I know you're very clever, but you're not clever enough. Give me the tape." Casey said, quietly dangerous.

"Even if I do hand it over, that won't make me forget what's on it. I just won't have the evidence."

"Evidence? Nothing happened."

"You're making a big deal over nothing. Come on, Casey, we both know what happened last night. And I am going to show people the tape."

"Over my dead body. Give me that tape."

"You'll have to get through me first."

Casey laughed. "Are you being serious? One advantage of being a dancer is that I have a substantially lethal roundhouse kick. You don't want to test me."

"But you know me, I like to live dangerously."

"No you don't. You check the toilet for traps before you use it!"

"You didn't grow up with Derek!"

"Give me that tape!"

Ten minutes later Derek saw Casey coming down the stairs to Edwin's room shaking her right hand as if it was in pain. He noticed that the knuckles were red. She had a video in the other hand.

"What happened up there?"

"Let's just say he'll be wearing sunglasses and concealer for a week or two." she said coolly going into her room. Derek saw Edwin peeking out of his bedroom door. He had a black eye, cut lip and bruised chin. There was also a clear hand print on his cheek.

Snorting Derek followed Casey into her room.

"I don't think we'll have anymore trouble from him." Casey said.

"What are you doing?"

Casey looked up from her desk where she was writing a label. "Making sure he'll never watch the tape again. I'm relabeling it as 'Lizzie and Casey- The Births'. That'll keep him away."


	7. Chapter 7

"So Edwin's off our case

"So Edwin's off our case." Casey said, kneeling down by her bed with the tape in her hand.

"That's good, but what is on that tape?" Derek said sitting on the bed in front of her.

"Everything." Came Casey's voice as her butt wiggled around as her top half ferreted for a box under the bed.

"You mean, the kissing?"

"That and more. And stop fondling my ass."

"You mean everything, everything?" Derek asked not stopping.

"Frenching, fondling, petting, everything."

"That's not too bad. It was a lot of fun, you can't deny that."

Casey sat up and shook the dust out of her hair. "I wasn't going to. But you went from nothing to third base in one night!"

"So? You sounded like you enjoyed it."

"Oh I did, but before we can move further in our relationship we need to get Sam and Emily off our backs." Casey leant forwards and ran her hands up Derek's thighs.

One of his eyebrows quirked suggestively. "Well I'm sure we can think of something if we put our heads together." The quirk turned into a devastatingly sexy smirk.

Casey felt her heart skip a beat and her breath caught in her throat but she managed to keep a sensible head. "Cool it lover boy. We have to work something out about our best friends."

"Why can't we just tell them?"

"Derek, Sam is my ex boyfriend, in fact he was my first real boyfriend. And Emily, well she's been in love with you forever. Even though she's dating Sam she hasn't given up on you. I have reasons. One, I don't think they'd handle it too well, if at all. And secondly, they'd never speak to us again."

"What makes you say that, sweetie?"

"Remember all that fuss you made when I started going out with Sam? All that business about the male code. I went through similar when Emily started crushing on Sam. Girls have a code too, and I think the four of us have broken pretty much all the rules of both codes."

"No arguments there. So what do we do?"

"They're already suspicious. So we need something to throw them off the scent. A big fight? Somewhere public like in a rehearsal or something."

"Sounds good. By the way shouldn't we start rehearsing the songs? I need a lot of service on those."

"Oh I know you do. We have to get on that as soon as possible." Casey slapped his thighs lightly and stood up. Crossing to her desk she rifled amongst the papers on it.

Derek watched her looking very confused. "No, Case, that's not what I meant."

"I know exactly what you meant, and that will have to wait. Trust me it'll be worth it." she turned and smiled at him. "But, you do have a point. You are an abysmal singer."

"Really?"

"No, not really, you sing like Pavarotti." Casey snapped with just a hint of sarcasm. "Domingo would be jealous. You are the best singer on the planet. Oh, darling, teach me how to sing like you."

"Okay, at this point you're abusing sarcasm."


	8. Chapter 8

"Oh do try to keep up Derek

"Oh do try to keep up Derek!" Casey complained, after running through the plan in the car in the school car park.

"I'm sorry, baby, I just don't really see the point in all this." Derek complained from behind the wheel.

Casey sighed in frustration, but tried to keep her temper under wraps. "The point, sweetheart, is to throw Sam and Emily off the scent. Do you want them to find out about us?"

"Not really. Do you think we can do it?"

"Of course we can. We've had enough practice." Casey chuckled a little.

"What are we fighting about again?"

"Me pushing you too hard with the singing. You fearing you're losing your voice because of me."

It was Derek's turn to snort. "I'm not sure it's the singing that's causing that."

"Rein it in, loverboy. You have to hate me remember?"

"I never hated you."

"Well, act like you do. You have to get angry with me." Casey insisted getting out of the car.

Derek watched her go. She just had to wear the red mini skirt, didn't she?

At lunch Derek saw Casey sitting with Emily and Sam and took a steadying breath. Okay, here goes.

He marched up to Casey and tapped her on the shoulder. "I got a bone to pick with you, Case." He demanded. Casey turned to face him.

"What now?" she snarled.

"Thanks to your relentless singing lessons my voice is starting to suffer. You made us rehearse until three in the morning last night. My throat hurts today. Three guesses who's to blame, and the first two don't count."

"How can you pin that on me? I didn't rehearse you any harder than I rehearse myself."

"Do you really not have a life?"

"Derek! No! Not when a musical that I'm starring in is in production no I don't have a life. But we're getting off topic. No I am not ruining your voice. If your voice isn't up to being Danny then I can easily get someone else to be him."

"Fine then. I quit! Find someone else." Derek turned on his heel and stormed away.

Casey watched him go and almost sat down before Emily, who had watched the fight in shock and surprise, pointed out automatically that there was no one else to be Danny. Casey acted realisation and shouted for Derek to wait. He came to a stop and turned back to face her.

"What?" he said sullenly.

"Don't quit. We'll just work harder."

"Oh wow, what a prospect. No I don't think so, Case."

"Fine then, be rubbish on stage. See what I care. It'll just make me look better."

"I will be great on stage."

"Yeah," Casey scoffed, "So's a dancing monkey."

Derek seemed to swell with rage. In three strides he was in front of her. "How dare you?" he snarled. Everyone in the cafeteria winced at the ringing slap.

Tears leapt into Casey's eyes and she steadied herself on her chair as Derek turned again and stormed out of the room. Casey seemed to be struggling with herself and Sam and Emily saw the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

Emily leapt up and comforted Casey who brushed her off. "I just want to be alone right now." Before fleeing the room in tears.

As she fled past the staircase a hand grabbed her and pulled her beneath them. She came face to face with a grinning Derek.

She wiped the tears from her face. "Good job. The slap was a nice touch."

"Not as good as the tears. Who knew you could cry to order?" From this vantage point Derek had a very clear view of her temptingly white cotton knickers seen from her crouched position. He was very tempted to reach out and feel them.

"I'm an actress. I cry all the time on stage. In fact when I sing Hopelessly Devoted To You for Grease I'm planning to be in tears as I sing it; just to add an extra emotional punch." Casey said with a smug little smirk.

"There won't be a dry eye in the building. Think they fell for our little spat?"

"Of course. But let's really hammer the point home." Casey stood up and pulled him out. "And I don't care what you say, Derek, you're still a moron!" she shouted, loud enough for the students to hear in the nearby cafeteria.

"A moron's better than an attention obsessed keener!" Derek shouted back a hint of a smile on his face.

Back in the cafeteria Sam turned to Emily hearing the continued fight outside. "Think it's real?"

"Seems to be. Sounds like one of their usual fights."

"I don't know. Derek didn't complain about these extensive singing lessons. Don't you think you would?"

"You have a point Sammy."

"The fight didn't feel right either. It didn't have their usual anger."

"What they said was pretty heated."

Sam looked at Emily carefully then looked at the doors. "It wasn't what they said, it was how they said it. I've been Derek's best friend for more than ten years and I know when he's angry. He wasn't angry."

Emily thought carefully. "Neither was she. True, I haven't known Casey for as long as you've known Derek but I think we all know how Casey pronounces her favourite name. She didn't say Derek like she usually does. He didn't call her Casey, either. He called her Case. The pet name."

"So, what we have here is a set up. They weren't really fighting. Which means…"

"They're covering something up." Emily shared her boyfriends triumphant smile.


	9. Chapter 9

"So what do you think they're hiding

"So what do you think they're hiding?" Emily asked Sam as they sat in a coffee shop after school that day. They'd been shopping…or rather, Emily had… and had stopped in the coffee shop at Sam's insistence that his feet were going to fall off if they carried on at her punishing pace.

"I don't know." Sam replied. He was remembering the lunchtime fight between Casey and Derek. "What could it be?"

"Maybe they're friends now but don't want the world to know. Or one of them could be blackmailing the other. Or maybe they're just tired of arguing and can't get angry anymore."

"All possible, except the friends one. Come on, Em, it's Derek and Casey. They're never going to be friends."

"Hang on, I think I've got it." Emily suddenly said after taking a sip of her coffee. "Now we know Casey and Derek both have crushes on each other, right?"

"I wouldn't call Derek's a crush. It's more like lusty feelings."

"The morning after they found the Sexy Sandy outfit she was too happy and he was too familiar. I remember him whispering something to her and I definitely saw him fondling her ass while he was doing it."

"She was very flirty with him that day and he was just as flirty."

Emily smirked in understanding. "Like he is with his girlfriends."

"Not to this extent. He's stopped complaining about her. Normally he can't stop."

"She blushes every time his name is mentioned. She's been acting like a…" Emily trailed off. "A girl in love." She covered her opened mouth with her hands. "That's their secret." Her voice was muffled by her hands. "I can't believe I didn't see it before."

"See what?"

"That's what happened that night. They must have got together. I mean, there's always been sexual tension between them but, recently, it's been magnified." Now Emily's hands were waving around trying to get her point across.

"I think you've got it, baby. They're a couple. His lusty thoughts must have become lusty reality."

"Is that all you boys think about?"

"Pretty much." Sam admitted, his hand on Emily's knee.

"Easy tiger. Oh look, there's Lizzie, let's ask her what she knows." Emily waved Lizzie over.

She approached smiling, an iced fruit drink in her hand. "Hey guys. What's up?" she usually came in here after soccer practice to cool off a bit before heading home.

"Nothing much. I was just wondering, how are things at home?" Emily asked.

"Alright. Edwin's been more scared than usual."

"Scared of what? Derek?"

"No actually, Casey. He looks like he's been bullied again. Knowing him, his bully is probably a girl."

Sam and Emily laughed. "How about Casey?"

"She's been singing a lot more. She and Derek haven't had fight in ages. I think they've reached a détente or a truce or something. It's nice. It's peaceful."

"Your bedroom is next to Casey's, right?"

Lizzie looked confused. "Yeah."

"Have you heard any odd sounds coming from it in the last week or so?" Emily asked.

"Not really. But Derek's been spending a lot of time in there. I guess they're rehearsing in there since she refuses to spend more than ten seconds in his room."

"Don't blame her. So, you're not suspicious of anything going on between them are you?" Emily said.

"No. It's just stuff for the musical, isn't it?"

"Can you do us a favour?" Lizzie nodded. "Can you spy on them a bit for us? We know that something's going on, and we have a pretty good idea what it is, but we just need confirmation. Think you can get it for us?"

"I'll talk to Edwin. We spend our lives spying on the family. Maybe he knows something."

"Great. You're a star, Liz. Give me a call if you find anything. You have my cell phone number right?" Emily asked taking it out of her bag.

"Yeah. I'm not going to get hurt for this am I?"

"No, at least I hope not. Just put my number on speed dial just in case."


	10. Chapter 10

"So we're all clear right

"So we're all clear right?" Edwin asked Lizzie setting something up on the bookshelves in Casey's room.

"Yeah. It is hooked up in my room right?"

"Yeah, direct link to your computer. You can move it around as well and focus it and stuff. I'll show you how it works in a second. Can I just ask, why do you want to spy on your sister?"

"That's not part of the agreement. Just stick to what I'm paying you for."

Edwin snorted and continued to hook up the webcam.

"Ed, where did you get that black eye?" Lizzie said after a pause.

Edwin hesitated. "Tripped. Hit my head on an open cupboard door."

"That's funny, yesterday you told me it was a bully at school."

"Then why ask again?"

Lizzie looked into Edwin's slightly fearful eyes. "Because I don't think it was a bully at school, since no one talks about it there, and it wasn't an accident, because there's clear indentation. Knuckles." She approached him and examined the bruise. He jumped slightly when she touched it. "Did Derek do it?"

Edwin shook his head with lowered eyes.

"Who then?" Lizzie asked gently.

Edwin pointed to a glamour photograph of Casey on a shelf on the bookshelves.

Lizzie looked very surprised but she chose to say nothing. "Is the camera set up?"

Edwin nodded and they left Casey's room. Just in time too. As they disappeared into Lizzie's room Casey and Derek rounded the corner from the stairs.

After Edwin showed Lizzie how to work the webcam and record to her computer he went upstairs. As soon as he was out of the room Lizzie picked up her phone and called Emily.

"Emily? Got some information for you. Edwin was beaten up by Casey. I know. Yeah. Well she does have a temper. What about? Don't know yet. Yeah I'm watching it now. Casey and Derek are just rehearsing. A kiss? Not yet. What do you think's going on anyway? Oh my god, you and your boyfriend have really warped minds. Good, I'm glad you know. Hang on there's a kiss. How should I know? I don't know what scene they're rehearsing. Hang on a second. Let me zoom in. Emily, you were right. That's more than acting. Now he's pushed her down on the bed. Ew his hand's sliding up her leg."

Lizzie dropped the phone as she screamed. She scrambled to shut off the webcam as quickly as possible. Edwin, Marti, Nora and George burst into the room.

"What's wrong?" Nora demanded urgently.

"Oh it's nothing. Big spider. Ed, will you help me get it?" Lizzie lied quickly, blushing furiously.

Edwin nodded and the rest of the family cleared out. As they left Casey and Derek appeared in the doorway.

"What's going on?" Casey asked. Lizzie noticed that the buttons on her blouse were done up wrong; in a hurry perhaps.

"Lizzie's steady nerves were tested by a big spider." George said a little mockingly.

Casey noticed that Lizzie was staring at her in tearful disgust as she and Derek left.

Everyone but Edwin cleared out of the room. As soon as the door was closed Lizzie burst into tears. Edwin caught her before she hit the ground and lowered her gently.

"I know why she hit you. You knew didn't you? You knew about them. How could she? How could he? They're family!"

"Not blood family Liz."

"Close enough. How could she do this to me? I never thought she'd do anything like this. And they're lying to everyone about it. All that time he spends in her room. They're not rehearsing at all."

"It's alright Liz. It's alright. She still trusts you. Just not with this. You know, when she was beating me up she kept insisting that whatever happens you mustn't find out. When I asked her why she said that you were still too innocent to understand. That you wouldn't understand. She said that she loved him, and didn't tell anyone because she was afraid of what they'd think of her. She also said she couldn't help falling in love with Derek; it happened before she realised it… when it was too late to stop it."

Nothing Edwin said could cheer Lizzie up. She felt that Casey had betrayed her in some way. The whole thing with Derek was so unnatural, and she couldn't understand why it was happening. And she hated that it was happening at all.


	11. Chapter 11

"Liz, why do you have a problem with your sister going out with Derek

"Liz, why do you have a problem with your sister going out with Derek?" Edwin asked her much later that night. She was still down about the situation.

Lizzie looked down at Edwin on the floor by her bed. "Don't you think it's weird? I mean, it's Casey and Derek. They've been fighting since they met. Why would they get together?"

"Didn't you ever notice it? When they fight there's so much sexual tension between them. Mind you there's always been sexual tension between them. Not just when they're fighting."

"No I didn't see it. I think maybe I didn't want to see it, so I didn't."

Edwin nodded. "Selective sight."

"It's not just because they fight all the time. They're so different."

"Opposites attract." Edwin said quietly, looking up at Lizzie on her bed.

"They're not just opposites they're like polar opposites. She's the north pole and he's the south pole. Quick physics lesson; north and south poles repel each other. That's how it should be with Casey and Derek."

"Actually north and south poles attract on magnets. It's the same poles that repel each other. North repels north and south repels south."

"Who's side are you on?!" Lizzie snapped.

"Yours. And theirs." He mumbled.

"Get a spine, diplomat!"

"Stop freaking out at me!" he fought back.

She went to fight back but then changed her mind. "I'm not. It's just hard for me to digest."

"Its understandable. It was hard for me too. Although I understood where he was coming from. Casey is gorgeous, and apart from being a bit clingy, she would make the perfect girlfriend."

"How did you find out?"

"I set up webcams over the house in case I needed blackmail on anyone and I saw the fitting session which is when it started. They went strait to third base in one evening. The next day Casey came and beat me up for it. She took the evidence and made me disconnect the camera and delete the file from my computer and install it on hers. She kept that webcam."

Lizzie actually chuckled a little. "That sounds like Casey."

"If you're feeling better can I go to bed please? Only it's really late and tomorrow is a school day."

"Go on. You go get your beauty sleep." She patronised him out of the room.

Once he was gone she looked at her alarm clock. It really was late, past midnight.

However late it was she knew she wouldn't be able to get to sleep. She decided she wanted a snack so she crept downstairs to the kitchen.

It was dark but she knew the layout of the house well enough to find her way in the dark. And she turned on the lights in the kitchen as soon as she could anyway.

She was just digging into a tub of ice cream when she heard someone coming down the stairs. She ducked behind the counter.

Derek came into the kitchen and saw the large tub of ice cream. "Who's in here?"

Slowly Lizzie straitened up. "It's me."

"What are you doing down here?" Derek asked getting some ham out of the fridge.

"Couldn't sleep. What about you?"

"Planning. Er, stuff for the musical."

"Derek, it's alright. I know about you two."

"You do? How?"

"Emily commissioned me to spy on you. Why didn't you tell us?"

"We were afraid of what people would think."

"I'm not surprised. You're sleeping with your stepsister."

"I'm not sleeping with her. I love her, god help me, I do. And she hasn't let us do that yet. More's the pity. It's not just sexual. I miss her when she's not near. I miss her right now, even though she's only upstairs. I'm in love with her. I know I am. And she knows I am. You've never been in love, Liz, you wouldn't understand what I feel for her. I've never loved anyone as much as I do her. Casey is all I think about. When I close my eyes all I see is her smiling at me; that sweet innocent but delicately naughty smile. And the look in her eyes tells me that she loves me. When she looks at me I can see that I'm the only person in her world at that moment. You've no idea how that feels." Derek grabbed a spoon from the cutlery drawer and dug into Lizzie's ice cream.

"I told Emily what I saw. I was actually talking to her when I saw it. I'm sorry."

"And she will have told Sam. Oh well. We knew we'd be found out eventually. Just don't tell dad and Nora and especially not Marti."

"No chance. I got your back, remember? I told Emily not to tell her parents, because if her mom finds out mom and George find out."

"No question of that. She's such a gossip. You can see where Emily gets it from can't you?" Derek chuckled and took another mouthful of ice cream.

"What are you going to do now that they know?" Lizzie stuck her own spoon into the tub.

"We'll figure that out tomorrow. God knows what they're gonna do to us now that they know about us." Derek rolled his eyes and Lizzie giggled a little.


End file.
